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  • Exploring North Wales & Snowdonia

    Exploring North Wales & Snowdonia

    September 2, 2026September 2, 2026

    Highlights from a wonderful trip to North Wales and Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, including mountain walks, scenic drives, beaches, viewpoints and spotting rare red squirrels…

  • Top tips for a city break in Bergen, Norway

    Top tips for a city break in Bergen, Norway

    July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

    My top tips for Bergen, Norway – the best hotels, what to see and do, where to eat and more…

  • ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ – the scenic way to travel between Oslo & Bergen

    ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ – the scenic way to travel between Oslo & Bergen

    May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

    How to do the classic ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ itinerary – a spectacular journey between Oslo and Bergen by train, boat and bus, taking in mountains, fjords and waterfalls…

  • 1 Hotel Copenhagen: a nature-inspired city sanctuary

    1 Hotel Copenhagen: a nature-inspired city sanctuary

    April 15, 2026April 15, 2026

    Decorated in tone-on-tone neutrals and tactile natural materials, 1 Hotel Copenhagen is a calm city sanctuary in the heart of the Danish capital…

  • Stylish countryside hotels & pubs for cosy getaways in the West Country & Cotswolds

    Stylish countryside hotels & pubs for cosy getaways in the West Country & Cotswolds

    March 13, 2026September 2, 2026

    Ten stylish rural places to stay in the West Country and Cotswolds, all with cosy rustic-minimalist interiors, delicious food and lots of character…

  • Vipp’s latest guesthouse: a minimalist mountain retreat in Austria

    Vipp’s latest guesthouse: a minimalist mountain retreat in Austria

    February 16, 2026February 16, 2026

    Set high in the Austrian Alps, Vipp’s latest bookable guesthouse combines pared-back Scandinavian style with plenty of local character…

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Some stills of our beautiful new kitchen with time Some stills of our beautiful new kitchen with timeless slim-framed Shaker units and oak interiors from @nordiskakok. The room isn't very big (3.4 x 3.2m), but it is roughly square - a big change from the narrow galley-style kitchens we've had in the past. We've kept the layout largely the same as it was, partly because it makes sense and partly because it meant we didn't have to spend money moving services around and could instead focus our budget on the units themselves. We did get rid of the upper wall-hung cabinets though, replacing them with a long open shelf that makes the space feel much larger and airier, and hid our boiler inside a tall worktop-mounted cupboard. On the other side of the room, we replaced a huge radiator with a smaller one, making space for an integrated fridge-freezer and a full-height cupboard with pocket doors. The latter is perhaps my favourite feature in the whole kitchen, as the doors slide back into the frame and don't stick out into the room. This gives us valuable prep and storage space that we can open up or hide away as needed, with a fully usable section of worktop inside. The pocket doors also freed up enough floor space in the centre of the room for a small freestanding island unit. I liked the idea of something rustic made from gnarled wood, to reflect the countryside setting and provide an element of contrast with the smooth units and worktops. It took a lot of internet searching, but eventually I found a salvaged prep table that’s exactly the right size. We’re planning to add a couple of stools where we can sit down with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, but we haven’t found the right ones yet. #shakerkitchen #shakerkök #cottagerenovation #cottagekitchen #moderncountrykitchen Shaker kitchen | Cottage renovation | Neutral kitchen | Minimalist interiors | Cottage kitchen | Pocket doors | Minimalist kitchen | Freestanding island unit | Kitchen renovation | Rustic minimalism
Pics from a wonderful day out in Shaftesbury in Do Pics from a wonderful day out in Shaftesbury in Dorset, and a beautiful drive down through Cranborne Chase to get there. We had a wander down the famous Gold Hill, explored the ruins of Shaftesbury Abbey, had a delicious pub lunch and accidentally bought three candles in @thebotanicalcandleco. See if you can spot me in one of the photos... #thisprettyengland #visitdorset #shaftesbury #visitengland #dorsetlandscape
Here it is: our finished kitchen! The kitchen we Here it is: our finished kitchen! The kitchen we inherited when we bought the house was tatty and dated, with broken appliances, ripped lino, chipped laminate worktops and cracked unit fronts (some of them literally looked like they'd been kicked). Now, it's a calm yet cosy room that channels the soft, rustic-minimalist mood that we're gradually adding throughout our little cottage. We've used timeless slim-framed Shaker units from @nordiskakok, which we've paired with white-pigmented oak interiors, quartz worktops and splashbacks with subtle veining, a long open shelf and a freestanding island unit made from salvaged wood. I'll share more details in a future post, but here are some before-and-after photos showing how the space has changed. We put most of our renovation budget into it, which means some other projects will have to wait, but we now have the kitchen we've always dreamed of and we couldn't be happier with it. #cottagekitchen #shakerkitchen #minimalistkitchen #cottagerenovation neutralhomedecor Shaker kitchen | Cottage kitchen | Minimalist interiors | Cottage renovation | Neutral kitchen | Soft minimalist interiors | Rustic minimalism | Neutral home decor | Freestanding island unit | Open kitchen shelves
[AD - PR products] Summer light falling across the [AD - PR products] Summer light falling across the dining room, our oak @quickstepfloors flooring and our lovely Carl Hansen Wishbone chairs from @hollowaysofludlow. I've been working down here for the past few weeks as it stays cooler than the office upstairs, and the chairs really are comfy enough to sit on for hours at a time. Bring on long, cosy meals and board games in here once the nights start drawing in! #neutralhomedecor #scandinaviandecor #minimalinterior #minimalistdiningroom #cottagerenovation
The hills on the edge of Bath - like everywhere el The hills on the edge of Bath - like everywhere else, they're looking both beautifully golden and scarily parched at the moment. We've had several wildfires around here over the past couple of weeks, so I'm longing for some rain. And although I don't like to wish time away, please bring on autumn! #bathengland #theprettycities #bathskyline #thisprettyengland #visitbath

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